Cartridge case extension piece for use with projectiles



P. ZEHFELD 3 18551194 CARTRIDGE CASE EXTENSION PIECE FOR USE WITH PROJECTILES May 25, 1965 Filed June 10; 1965 United States Patent 6 Claims. ((11. 102-ss Projectiles of relatively large calibre are frequently loaded into a gun barrel separately from the propellant charge. To enable the loading operation to be carried out more rapidly, fixed and semi-fixed ammunition has been proposed in which the propellant is contained in a cartridge case so designed that the projectile is mounted on the case before loading, and the case and projectile are loaded together into the gun barrel.

That is not always practicable where the propellant charge occupies all or almost all of the volume of the case, so that either no room is left for mounting the projectile or else the necessary combustion space becomes too small.

According to the invention there is provided a tubular combustile extension piece having an external annular shoulder and which can be inserted into a cartridge case as far as the annular shoulder and into which the projectile can be inserted.

In a type of ammunition serving as fixed ammunition for high-angle guns, it has been proposed to couple the projectile to the cartridge case by means of an intermediate ring. The intermediate ring is intended to remain on the case on firing or to be expelled with the projectile and its object is to enable the combustion space to be varied as desired by displacement or twisting of the intermediate ring or of the projectile, in order to vary the angle of incidence of the projectile.

Apart from the fact that the present invention is based on a totally different problem, the known arrangement is, on the one hand, very costly because of the twistable or displaceable construction of the individual parts and, on the other hand, the intermediate ring makes re-use of the cartridge case difiicult when left thereon or impairs the trajectory of the projectile when it is expelled with the latter.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing which is an elevation partly in section.

Into the upper, open end of a cartridge case 1 is inserted a tubular extension piece 2. The extension piece has an external annular shoulder 3 which limits the movement of the piece 2 into the cartridge case. A projectile 4 is inserted as far as an annular shoulder 5, for example a driving or rotating band, into the upper end of the extension piece.

The extension piece is made of an easily combustible material, for example a plastics material, so that it is completely destroyed on firing.

The extension piece may also be provided to great advantage with a transverse partition 6 spaced from the bottom edge of the projectile. In that way, on the one hand, the extension piece is stiffened and strengthened, so that the projectile is held more firmly and with a greater clamping action, and on the other hand complete 3,l85,fi94 Patented May 25, 1965 destruction and combustion of the extension piece is more likely.

I claim:

I. A cartridge case extension piece for use with projectiles and cartridge cases for inter-connection purposes comprising a tubular sleeve of combustile material, said sleeve having a longitudinal axis and a front end for embracing a tail portion of a projectile and a rear end to be plugged into a cartridge case, an external annular shoulder on said sleeve formed between said front end and said rear end in a plane transverse to said longitudinal axis for limiting the movement of the extension piece into a cartridge case when plugging it therein, said front end comprising a socket portion on said sleeve for the reception of the tail portion of a projectile, said socket portion having a front portion defined by said front end of said sleeve and a rear portion for receiving the tail end of said projectile tail portion, said rear portion being formed in a second plane transversely to said longitudinal axis of said sleeve near said first-mentioned plane.

2. A cartridge case extension piece for use with projectiles and cartridge cases for inter-connection purposes comprising a tubular sleeve of combustible material, said sleeve having a longitudinal axis and a front end for embracing the tail portion of a projectile and a rear end to be plugged into a cartridge case, an external annular shoulder on said sleeve formed between said front end and said rear end in a plane transverse to said longitudinal axis for limiting the movement of the extension piece into a cartridge case when plugging it therein, said front end forming a socket portion on. said sleeve for the reception of the tail portion of a projectile, said socket portion having a front portion defined by said front end of said sleeve and a rear portion for receiving the tail end of said projectile tail portion, said rear portion being formed in a second plane transversely to said longitudinal axis of said sleeve between said first-mentioned plane and said front end of said sleeve and near said first-mentioned plane.

3. A cartridge case extension piece for use with projectiles and cartridge cases for inter-connection purposes comprising a tubular sleeve of combustible material, said sleeve having a longitudinal axis and a front end for embracing the tail portion of a projectile and a rear end to be plugged in a cartridge case, an external annular shoulder on said sleeve formed between said front end and said rear end in a plane transverse to said longitudinal axis for limiting the movement of the extension piece into a cartridge case when plugging it therein, said front end forming a socket portion on said sleeve for the reception of the tail portion of a projectile, said socket portion having a front portion defined by said front end of said sleeve and a rear portion for receiving the tail end of said projectile tail portion, said rear portion being formed in a second plane transverse to said longitudinal axis of said sleeve near said first-mentioned plane, a partition in said sleeve transverse to said longitudinal axis between said rear portion of said socket and said rear end of said sleeve and near said rear portion of said socket.

4. A cartridge case extension piece for use with projectiles and cartridge cases for connection purposes comprising a tubular sleeve of combustible material, said sleeve having a longitudinal axis and a front end for embracing the tail portion of a projectile and a rear end to be plugged in a cartridge case, an external annular shoulder on said sleeve formed approximately intermediate said front end and said rear end in a plane transverse to said longitudinal axis for limiting the movement of the extension piece into a cartridge case when plugging it therein, a socket portion on said sleeve for the reception of the tail portion of a projectile, said socket portion having a front portion defined by said front end of said sleeve and a rear portion for receiving the tail end of said projectile tail portion, said rear portion being formed in a second plane transverse to said longitudinal axis of said sleeve between said first-mentioned :plane and said front end of said sleeve and near said first-mentioned plane, a partition in said sleeve transverse to said longitudinal axis between said rearportion of said socket and said first-menl5 tioned plane.

5 4, in which said partition has a thickness of the wall substantially equal to the thickness of the Wall of said sleeve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/45 Ericson 10293 2,776,621 1/57 Rosenblatt 102-38 2,820,412 1/58 Beeuwkes et al. 10293 2,920,563 1/60 De Caro 102-38 3,055,268 9/62 'Rosenthal 102-93 SAMUEL FEINBERG, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CARTRIDGE CASE EXTENSION PIECE FOR USE WITH PROJECTILES AND CARTRIDGE CASES FOR INTER-CONNECTION PURPOSES COMPRISING A TUBULAR SLEEVE OF COMBUSTILE MATERIAL SAID SLEEVE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND A FRONT END FOR EMBRACING A TAIL PORTION OF A PROJECTILE AND A REAR END TO BE PLUGGED INTO A CARTRIDGE CASE, AND EXTERNAL ANNULAR SHOULDER ON SAID SLEEVE FORMED BETWEEN SAID FRONT END AND SAID REAR END IN A PLANE TRANSVERSE TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS FOR LIMITING THE MOVEMENT OF THE EXTENSION PIECE INTO A CARTRIDGE CASE WHEN PLUGGING IT THEREIN, SAID FRONT END COMPRISING A SOCKET PORTION ON SAID SLEEVE FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE TAIL PORTION OF A PROJECTILE, SAID SOCKET PORTION HAVING A FRONT PORTION DEFINED BY SAID FRONT END OF SAID SLEEVE AND A REAR PORTION FOR RECEIVING THE TAIL END OF SAID PROJECTILE TAIL PORTION, SAID REAR PORTION BEING FORMED IN SECOND PLANE TRANSVERSELY TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID SLEEVE NEAR SAID FIRST-MENTIONED PLANE. 